You are asking to different questions. So, you get to different answers. 1-As a leader is it best to be fear or respected? I think a person in any type of leadership position needs both fear and respect. 2-So which one is a more efficient force to move people forward to a specific goal? Fear is the most effective for of motivation to move people towards a specific goal.

Be loved by your allies and feared by your enemies. Treat everyone fairly that is loyal and crush those that dissent into dust. Love and Fear cannot work alone a combination is required to rule. You will all learn soon enough. Just as soon as I get my armies together you will all soon see. MUWAHAHAHAHA MUWAHAHAHAHA.

What kamaitachi5587 said. Respected by those you lead and feared by those you lead against.

On another note I had a boss that I was afraid of but I didn't respect. I did my damnedest to screw him over because of that lack of respect though he did likewise to me and everyone else that worked for him. I'd rather have a boss I respect than a boss I feared. So that should be your answer right there, would you work for some one you feared? Or respected?

Machiavelli stated in "The Prince" that "it is far safer to be feared than loved if you cannot be both.". However, he later goes on to say that you must go to great efforts to make sure that you are never hated. For if you are hated, you will have no shortage of conspirators, and your stay on the throne will be short.

Or in other words, your first priority is to make sure that your subjects do not hate you. Your second priority is to make sure that your subjects fear/respect your authority. Your third priority is to make sure that your subjects love you.

It's a balance. You must have the right amount of fear AND respect, but I think respect gives you more power. Though in retrospect, that balance is not always favorable to the people, as witnessed in North Korea where the Kim-Jung regime is revered and respected by the people, but also feared of doing something to get the death penalty.

Anyways, maybe I'm just a peaceful guy, but Respect is the way to go. Be respected, but not vulnerable.

a person can be both fearful and respectful .....but it depends on how he/she acts....if he/she is a beast but is still kind and helping towards other then he/she can gain respect and at the same time other might not dare to act arrogantly infront of him/her...

ummm both fear and respect have its own ups and downs ....but if you have both then you are gonna be an amazing leader